welcome to "your bottom line," the show that saves you money. congress may be on recess, but the health care debate rages on. we'll talk big savings. the credit card holders bill of rights. what rules go into effect this thursday. how to rent anything from sporting equipment to tools and appliances. we'll tell you when not to buy. "your bottom line" starts now. august is make or break month for health care in america. town halls are causing public uproar confusion. al li is curing the country on cnn express. joining us from the missouri state fair. talk about getting the pulse of america, what are you hearing? >> reporter: we have been driving from atlanta to des moines and passed through georgia, tennessee, kentucky,

illinois, missouri, heading into kansas and iowa. we're talking to people in places smaller than what would get media coverage about health care. as the health care debate was heating up on tv, we were trying to get a quieter discussion going. there was plenty of disagreement where we went. we ended up in an interesting place, northwestern kentucky on the illinois border. we had a bit of a town hall meeting. one was a democratic candidate who ran in the last election and lost. she had very, very strong views on health care. here is a bit of a taste of what she told us. >> well, my husband and i are two of the 47 million plus that don't have health care. i'm not talking insurance. i want health care. my husband had diabetes and a bout with cancer. what insurance company is going to cover us. if i get sick, i'm going to the

emergency room. who is that costing? it's costing us, the taxpayers. if they have to tax me more to get health care, tax me. tax me, tax me, tax me. i'm willing to pay. >> reporter: i have to tell you, you can see a larger version of that interview that's worth seeing, there were people who didn't agree with that at all. they were saying they would like to fix health care, but the last thing they want is more health care. there's a heated debate going on in the country. i would liblg like to think the people we are talking to are having a heated debate. it's civil and respectful and we are trying to get to the nitty-gritty of cost, quality health care. those are the issues coming up. >> you guys are doing a great job. it's a tough proposition, raising taxes in a deep recession. thank you very much. appreciate it. one way to seriously slash

health care spending, investing. andrew is the vice president of clinical affairs at the medical center. he's the host of "health care connect." you know a lot about this topic. people like you are in demand now. they want to know how we can fix health care in a way that's affordable. let's talk about the waste. where is it coming from? >> it's interesting. you have to put it in context. president obama wants a bill that's not going to cost more money. you have to fipd where the waste is. it can be found in lots of places in the health care system. some of the easy things to look at are obesity. $200 billion on taking care of obese people. smoking. the numbers are between 190 and over $500 billion in people who smoke. so, you know, we have to filter out the noise in the politics and get down to work.

start tackling some of the areas where we can save money in the health care system to cover more people. that's what it's about. >> exactly. there's a number of proposals out there floating around capitol hill. in the proposals you have seen so far, what's included when we talk about prevention? president obama's stimulus package was $1 billion. you know, now people can say what is that going to do? it's a drop in the bucket. taking better care of themselves is a great start. in the bills i have seen, there's $10 billion currently written into that. again, it's a drop in the bucket. if you are talking $200 billion for obesity, it's going to cost $10 billion to make people healthy. you are going to save a lot of money. if you can solve 25% of the

obesity problem, you can save. >> we're talking costs that come to individuals and the businesses. health care costs and subsidizing health insurance is a huge cost to businesses. what are you seeing businesses are doing or should be doing when it comes to wellness and disease management. a study that just came out where they surveyed big businesses they are putting a lot of money into wellness programs. they are skeptical about if it's going to work, but they are putting money into it. putting money in gym memberships, smoking cessation. ibm is a recent example of a company that over two or three years invested $80 million and saw a $90 million return on investment. there's real money there. >> as an individual, what can i do to cut my health care cost? >> well, that's a complicated

question. i want to say two things. first, what's in the current legislation is they are going to basically eliminate discounts for healthy people. that is a little problematic. it's always better to be healthy. you will always save money on health care if you take care of yourself. fewer doctor visits. >> go to the gym, don't smoke, stay healthy. let's go forward. the credit card holders bill of rights changes that will affect your wallet this week. .. and back. for little bodies with fevers.. and big bodies on high blood pressure medicine. tylenol works with your body... in a way other pain relievers don't... so you feel better... knowing doctors recommend tylenol... more than any other brand of pain reliever.

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the average american carries more than $10,000 in credit card debt. it's comprised of interest rates penalties and fees. first rules go into effect on thursday. here is what you need to know. the co-founder and president. thank you for joining us. >> thanks for having me. >> those are excellent credit status have the highest interest rate, why is that? >> the people with the best

credit have the best rates. what the credit card industry has been doing to reinvent themselves is increase the rate they offer consumers. what it means is the people with the best credit are paying higher now for their credit. >> it seems counter intuitive, but at the same time dealing with banks facing the highest defaults they have seen in many, many years. the consumer is going to pay as a result? >> what the credit card act has done is make it difficult for them to make revenues the way they have through interest rates and fees and so forth. it's hard to change interest rates when the full law goes into effect in february. a lot of credit card companies are preparing for that change by making some changes today and making it possible for them to move down in rates, later, after

the law goes into effect. >> obviously, this goes into effect in february. folks need to know what happens this week. thursday, some of the rules are taking effect. talk to us about those. protection from rate increases? >> that's correct. there's two clauses of the entire act that go into effect thursday. the first is protection from arbitrary rate increases. the credit card companies give consumers 45 day notice before any rates are changes. typically, it's been changed by the credit card company and you found out after the fact. now, you have to have a 45 day notice before any changes can be made. >> what else is happening thursday? >> the second big thing is the grace period adjustment. there used to be a minimum 14 day grace period for you to be able to pay your bill. now, you have a 21 day grace

period starting thursday to pay your bills. >> what do we have to look out for in february when it all takes effect? >> there's a number of deferent aspects to the law. there's two interesting things that benefit consumers. the first is a fair allocation of balances. it's a complicated rule. what it means is if you had a zero percent balance transfer, then spent $100, and that charge is earning interest or paying interest at 18% and you paid down $100, that $100 would not apply to the $100 of 18% interest. it pays off the zero percent balance. february, it will pay the 18% down and you keep the zero percent down. what it is, is a significant savings in the interest payments

the consumers will make. >> what about the no universal default? >> if you default on a card or have negative activity, sacred card company a, the card with credit card company b can increase your rate, a default rate of 30% or so. come february, it's no longer possible. each card company can only act to reduce to a default rate when you default to them. >> very useful, helpful information. thank you so much for joining us. in july, 7.5 million people held multiple jobs. now, with employers cutting back on hours and wages, many are turning to a second job for extra cash. what do you need to know before you start moonlighting? we have helpful tips.

let's start off with thank you for being here, appreciate it. >> thank you. >> what do you need to know before you take on extra work? >> does it violate anything? what is the financial impact. will you have to pay to commute? are you going to have to pay for day care. does it push you into a higher tax bracket? you're going to have to work five or six hours just to pay equipment. think of how it's going to impact your quality of life. when you look for moonlighting positions are we talking bar tending or restaurant hostess? >> for somebody younger, it could be a bar, a restaurant. somebody who is an i.t. person helps people set up home

computer audio equipment in their home. >> let's talk about when you take on the second job and look at the time you put into it. you're saying put a time limit on yourself and set goals. put a limit on that, right? >> absolutely. whether it's to pay down a credit card or change careers, think what is the goal for the amount of time i'm spending on it. i'm going to do it for three or four or five months. it takes a personal toll, working two jobs. >> you have to think what time am i going to have with my family or myself. you read about people working two ten hour shifts. finally, if you take a second job or if you look at it and say this isn't really for me, but i'm not happy in the current position, i'm not making enough, what career shift can you make without moonlighting? >> sit down and think what it is

you want to do. who can help you? is there education or training or credentials to get to boost your salary in your current job? examine what part of your career you like best. you are an accountant but you like being with other people. you are an event planner but like the number side of the business. find out what you like best about your job. think about what education training, internship could i do on the side to move in that position. >> make the most of the position you are in. thank you so much. up next, green your home projects you can do now to slash your energy bill. it molds better... it grips better... and seals better. you can even drink water with it on. crest whitestrips advanced seal. it's a breakthrough technology... that molds and adheres to your teeth better... ...giving you a dramatically whiter smile.

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all right. you have shut the lights off. unplugged your electronics you even take short showers. your energy bill the through the roof. a single family home averages about $2200 on their annual energy bill. we have projects you can do to cut your energy bill. amy is a licensed contractor. she's from minnesota, which naturally makes her a wonderful

person from the land of 10,000 lakes like me. thank you for being here. when you want to save on the energy bill, you have to cut the waste. are you kidding using? >> this is an easy way to dyi a test to see where your energy leakage is. you can have a blower test. you spend $200 on the test. the high pressured air comes in. you can see where those leaks are. you can find those yourself by holding a tissue up to the window and see if it pillobill and lighting an candle up to the window and see if it bill lows. >> wetter rising your windows is an easy, affordable way to save energy. how do you do that? >> you can get new windows and use tens of thousands of dollars in your budget. put new windows in or by-products like these, the

window insulation kid. there are all different brands that do this. you will put plastic up. >> we do this in minnesota. >> you shrink wrap the windows, essentially. this goes on inside any of the areas. if it is wood, it will expand and contract. in the wintertime, you are going to have leakage. this sales everything up. for the door where you will get a lot of draft is underneath the door. this is perfect for putting underneath the door and stopping any air. most of these products, $10, $20. for your whole house, $150, you can seal it up and save a ton. >> the older your home, the more you will need to do. focus on the bathroom, because your shower can be really wasteful, right? >> some of the old shower heads we are using, 4 to 7 gallons per minute for your shower head. now, the new federal regulations are 2.5. update your shower head.

the low flow ones are 1.75 gallons a minute. you are going to reduce by 30% more your cost on water savings. >> what about the toilet? >> the toilet is important. the new are made with 1.6 gallons per flush. the old ones were 7 gallons. a family of four, 16,000 gallons a year that you can save by getting a better toilet. they have dual flush toilets. if you have liquid waste, you can press one button and only use .8 gallons. >> when you look at your faucets, this is a beautiful faucet. you can update the design and save. >> if your faucet was made before '92, it will be using 5 to 7 gallons per minute. you go through a regular thing of dishes. you spend 120 gallons. that's bad. you can put this tiny little aerator on the tip. that will reduce the water flow to 1 po 3 gallons which is

great. >> these lights? >> these are for under cabinets. i show them great ways to improo have the beauty of the kitchen, making your kitchen more functional. doing something like this will save you money in the long run. i recommend changing out all the lights to the compact fluorescent in the house if you can and you will save hundreds of dollars a year on that. >> these are great things you can do yourself. you can save a lot of money and you can prove to yourself, hey, i can do that too, right? >> easy stuff to do. 20 to 50% of your total energy cost in savings. >> not to mention, you are being good, your being green. >> saving water. >> amy thath thmatthews, i real appreciate it. why reptinting instead of buyin might save you money in the long run? . our main objective is to reach out to the customers that are falling behind on their payments.

a lot of customers are proud and happy that bank of america actually has a solution to help them out. i listen. that's the first thing i do is i listen. you know what, what happened? what put you in this situation? we always want to make sure that we're doing i'll go through some of his monthly expenses, if he has a mortgage payment, if he pays rent. and then i'll use all that information to try and see what kind of a payment he financially can handle. i want to help you. bank of america wants to help you through this difficult time. when they come to you and they say thank you aj, for helping me with this problem, that's where we get our joy from. y od bicycle, what are we waiting for? the flowers are blooming. the air is sweet. and zyrtec® starts... relieving my allergies... 2 hours faster than claritin®. my worst symptoms feel better,

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well, these days, you can rent just about anything, whether you are test driving an item for purchaser just renting for weekend use. when does a rental make sense and how much money can you save. it's a great question. ann marie o'neil is a deputy editor of real simple. thanks for being here. let's talk about the three steps you need to consider br you decide to buy or rent. >> first of all, you have to

work out, is it worth it? an easy calculation is to work out your cost per use. do that easy calculation, that's how you work out whether it is worth it in the first place. then, work out where this item is. is it heavy? will it require shipping? if that's the case, look locally. we have a bunch of national websites where you can rent items. if they are small items where it is ease why i to ship, look nationally. >> when you want to rent electronics, if you have a big party and you want a great bose sound system. do you buy that or rent that? >> that's a place where you want to rent. if you have something inferior and you want to splash out, it makes sense to rent. >> let's talk about renting sporting equipment? let's say i want to take up surfing here in new york city, which is tough to do. should i rent a surf board or

ice skates. what's the idea there? >> renting a surf board in new york city is a good example. you probably are not going to the beach every day. rent it to start with. see where you go. you might be fantastic. if you are not fantastic and you give it up, you haven't put money out on a big item. >> what about car rentals? >> we all rent cars when we travel. that's what we have come to consider. think about if you are buying a car. get a test drive. you don't try and pack your kids, your groceries in there. you don't try and see how many suitcases fit in the trunk. a great idea is to rent it for a weekend, driving it around, see how it fits with your lifestyle. then, buy it. it's a major purchase. >> what about big tools or appliances? >> a lot of tools you don't need on a regular basis. if you need to shop down the tree, rent the chain shasaw. you are not going to be doing that every weekend, hopefully.

appliances, if you are going somewhere for a short time and appliances aren't included, it makes sense to rent those. >> the fun stuff. we are going to a big ga la. we want a new dress but don't want to shell out hundreds and hundreds of dollars. >> there are great websites where you can rent dresses and bags. there is a website called avel, used to be called, bag, borrow or steal. there is another place where you can rent fabulous gowns called, wear today, gone tomorrow. you can get designer gowns for 1/10 of what you would wear in the shop. you might spend $185 to go to a ball or something like that. >> thank you for joining us. you appreciate it. >> thank you for spending part of your saturday with us. your bottom line will be back next week right here on cnn you can also catch us on hln e